Community Consultation Report: Main Themes and Results

Four major themes: atmosphere, values, approach and access will guide the services and supports that Hospice Halifax will provide when the hospice residence opens. Community members highlighted these themes during an in person consultation on March 26, 2018 and an online consultation from January to March 2018. Approximately 60 community members attended the consultation and 74 people participated online in answering two questions:

If you or someone you love were in hospice, what would you want your experience to include? What would you find nurturing?

What do you think is important for hospice to be aware of and understand about the people in our community?

The report highlights most of the demographic of the community members who participated in the consultation. Eighty per cent of attendees were people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and older, while the remaining 20% were composed of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Overall, the in person consultation had representation from Halifax proper (North, South, West, and Central),

Harrietsfield, Lakeside, Kentville, Bedford, Enfield/Fall River, the Eastern Shore, and the South Shore.

“We often say that hospice is ‘in community, by community, for community.’ It’s wonderful that the results from the consultation has validated our work to date,” said Hospice Halifax’s CEO, Gordon Neal. “We heard some new ideas over the course of this process and we will take everything into account as we work toward the opening.”

Drawing from the four major themes and thirty-five sub-themes, attendees support:

Creating and maintaining a welcoming, peaceful, comfortable, and flexible atmosphere that reflects the positive aspects of home.